Jon Favreau Frontrunner to Direct JERSEY BOYS Musical Adaptation

A feature film adaptation of the Broadway hit Jersey Boys has been in development for the past two years, but now it appears that producer Graham King (The Town) is getting serious about actually making the film. The documentary-style musical tells the story of The Four Seasons, chronicling the group’s rise in the 1960s with such hits as “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man.”Back in January, Hugo and Rango scribe John Loganwas tapped to write the screenplay, and now it appears that Jon Favreau is the frontrunner to direct the pic. Hit the jump for more.

Jersey Boys has been a massive hit on Broadway, grossing over $1 billion since it debuted in 2005, so it’s with a bit of pressure that Variety reports Favreau is the frontrunner for the gig. Favs is an interesting choice as director, and though he lacks musical experience he’s proven versatile as a filmmaker with such varied fare as Made, Elf, and Iron Man. He’s been prepping his next film, the Disney family adventure pic Magic Kingdom, for the past year, but we haven’t heard an update on the Disney pic for a while. Variety makes no mention of Magic Kingdom in the Jersey Boys report, so it’s entirely possible that development on the former has stalled.

Favreau is currently filming a couple of acting gigs, with his returning role as Happy Hogan in Iron Man 3 and a supporting part in the comedy Identity Thief opposite Jason Bateman. Watch a performance from the cast of Jersey Boys at the Tony Awards below.